John Deatrick calls it the “Oscar” of
planning awards. The city-county Banks project executive seems genuinely
excited and proud to be part of the riverfront project receiving the
American Planning Association’s (APA) 2013 National Planning Excellence
Award for Implementation, announced Jan. 9.

The award recognizes the project for
converting “195 acres of a vast wasteland, between the Ohio River and
Cincinnati’s Central Business District, into an economically successful
and vital, mixed-use development,” according to APA’s website.

Deatrick recently described how the
riverfront has been a thorn in Cincinnati’s side for literally
centuries. When the city was first built in 1788, settlers ignored
warnings from natives and established the city directly on the Little
Miami riverfront, way below the flood line. The big exception was Fort
Washington, which was set up deeply inland and above a flood line that
had been previously established by the natives.

The flood did not wait long — it came in
1789, and settlers were forced to abandon the riverfront for higher
land. Cincinnati has had multiple floods since then, and each has made
the city more cautious of construction on the riverfront.

The Banks project is the first time in
the modern era Cincinnati is taking on a comprehensive plan for the
riverfront. Deatrick says until Banks development began, aerial shots
made it seem like the city was “missing its teeth.” As he sees it,
finishing The Banks project is all about filling in those teeth.

But The Banks project hasn’t been as
simple as a trip to the dentist. There has been no shortage of ideas
since the early 1800s, but the city has consistently faced two major
hurdles: funding and collaboration.

Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s,
Cincinnati and Hamilton County paved their own ways for The Banks. The
county stuck to its stadium projects, and the city focused on roads.

“That was OK, but it was kind of
dysfunctional,” Deatrick says. “We had a bunch of joint meetings, and we
tried to stay out of each other’s way.

In 2006, the dysfunction came to an end.
Bob Castellini, owner of the Cincinnati Reds, initiated a three-day
summit for the city and county. The goal was to get Cincinnati and
Hamilton County to commit to The Banks project, which officials laid out
in a plan seven years earlier. By the end of the summit, the city and
county reached an agreement, established a five-person panel headed by
Castellini and the search began for a developer.

Bringing the moving pieces together made
everything a lot easier. Not only did it make planning more streamlined,
but it also let Cincinnati and Hamilton County combine grant money to
boost overall funding. With the combined money and a more streamlined
plan, the city and county were able to handle a true master plan for the
riverfront.

There were also some lucky breaks along
the way. While the Great Recession didn’t help, the city and county
managed to land $24.7 million in stimulus funds as a result of it.
“Needless to say, that helped a lot,” Deatrick says.

Today, anyone in Cincinnati can see the
outcome of the mostly complete first phase of development by going down
to the riverfront. What was once a muddy, barren parking lot is now
filled with bustling businesses, claimed apartments, lively parks and a
general sense of activity. The place is especially packed during Reds
and Bengals home games, offering the types of bars and restaurants fans
had been frequenting across the river before and after games since
Newport on the Levee opened in 2001.

But the first phase is only the
beginning. Pointing to a map of The Banks area, Deatrick shows just how
much room is left for construction, then begins explaining what’s
planned for the future.

The second phase of the plan is partially
underway, but construction won’t kick off until the spring. Once it’s
completed, the riverfront should have new apartments, a parking garage,
more parks and even a hotel. The city will also work on making the area
look cleaner and more stylized, which will make it more inviting to
visitors.

For each part of the plan, the idea is to
iterate, Deatrick says. Every step should come out better than the
last, as officials and planners learn from the previous mistakes.

But one remaining hurdle in the plan is
what to do with Fort Washington Way. Deatrick says he understands some
people see the freeway as a “divide” between downtown and the
riverfront, even though he personally doesn’t see it that way.

If the business community has its way,
the divide will soon be closed off. The idea is to deck Fort Washington
Way, or essentially build a roof over it. But it won’t be a simple,
plain roof. On top of the roof, the city, county and businesses will be
able to build parks and buildings. If this happens, Fort Washington way
will become a tunnel, eliminating the chasm visually dividing downtown
and The Banks.

For the decking, the city is leading an
initiative called “Connect the Blocks,” which is currently focusing on a
design competition. Fundraising will come at a later date.

Beyond making the Cincinnati riverfront
look more attractive, The Banks development is having a big impact on
the local economy. A University of Cincinnati economic impact study in
May 2012 calculated some of the economic benefits. It said the first
phase of the plan will produce $276 million each year once the hotel and
office buildings are finished, or $2.7 billion between 2011 and 2020.
That’s enough economic impact to directly create 1,400 jobs, according
to the study.

The Banks development will also create
more demand in other parts of town, which will have more customers for
products and services in retail, restaurant supplies and other business
services. That demand, which is seen as indirect job creation, will add
another 1,000 jobs.

In total, the 2,400 jobs are expected to
bring in about $81 million in earnings to Hamilton County, with 2,050
jobs, or $69 million in earnings, within Cincinnati.